------------------------------------- B U S I N E S S P L A N M A S T E R ------------------------------------- for Windows Version 1.0 BUSINESS PLAN MASTER will: * Help you create a highly professional business plan. * Save you many hours (even days!) of work. * Let you compare your business with others in your industry. * Give you buckets of money, Shangri-La, a Rolls-Royce in your driveway, the perfect spouse, wonderful children, world peace and intergalactic harmony. (just kidding!) Requirements ------------ Any PC or compatible with Windows, a word processing or page layout program and a spreadsheet program. These files are designed for use by those with a basic (not advanced) knowledge of word processing and spreadsheets. The text files are in Word/Windows 2.0 and ASCII (*.TXT) formats. The spreadsheet files are in Excel/Windows v4.0 (*.XLS). Any later versions and also many other competitive programs should be able to import these files. I am partial to laser printers, but it is not a requirement UNLESS you are planning to present this plan to venture capitalists or other sophisticated investors. A Macintosh version is also available. It is located on CompuServe, Ziffnet, GEnie, Delphi, America OnLine, BMUG, and BCS-Mac, as well as several shareware vendors. Purpose: Every business needs to have a plan in order to track its progress. There is no business too small, too large, too complex or too simple to avoid having a business plan. I found that many businessmen assume that the usefulness of their business plan is over once the business is up and running. I have been successful using a business plan not only to start a business, but as an important management tool in an ongoing business. This program is designed for use by any size (small, medium or large) or type (product or service) of business. It also includes all the necessary information which most lenders or investors are seeking. I didn't write this program in an ivory tower some place, but out of my own business experience. For seven years, I imported cuckoo clocks from the Black Forest of Germany, so this is definetly a "cuckoo" program! I have been involved in many other business ventures. I'd be lying if I said I made money with all of them. But I can truthfully say that all were successful, mainly because I followed a plan and stuck to it. BUSINESS PLAN MASTER supplies you with complete template files. I give you professional formats (footnootes, tables of contents,some simple graphics), some excellent sample text and several spreadsheet files for you to use. Alone these could save you many hundreds of hours of work. Because of the wide diversity of businesses and business ideas, I have tried to make these files as universal as possible. Over time, you will likely incorporate your own language into the text and make modifications to the worksheets. Please work on copies of these files in case you trash one. It happens to all of us! ----------- QUICK START ----------- If you want to get started quickly, just read these few lines: FIRST, take a look at what is here. Open the spreadsheets in your spreadsheet program. The best file to look at first is BPMPROF.XLS (Proforma Financial Statements). I highly recommend that you do your spreadsheet work first. Make sure your business idea is going to be financially worthwhile before trying to write the text portion. Get into your word processing program. Open the BUSINESS PLAN MASTER file, either BPMWIN10.DOC (Winword 2.0), or BIZPLN21.TXT (ASCII text). This is the main BUSINESS PLAN MASTER file which will contain the text you will use. To access the BPMWIN10.DOC file from Winword, use "File Open" and then look for it in the directory you placed it in. If you are now hopelessly lost, take a look at the User's Guide. By registering at the *PROFESSIONAL* level, I send you a printed User's Guide along with other valuable items. -------------- List of Files: -------------- The text files are in two formats, ASCII text and Word/Windows v2.0 The spreadsheet files are in Excel/Windows 4.0 (*.XLS) format. These files can be opened with higher versions. Most other Windows spreadsheet programs can import these Excel files. BPMWIN10.DOC and BIZPLN21.TXT Business Plan Master This is the main template document. A ready-to-go form which will help you have a business plan in print in just a few hours. Identical in every format. TXT = ASCII, DOC = Winword. REGISTER.ME Registration Form This is a shareware program and this is the form to use to register. BPMBREAK.XLS BPM Breakeven Analysis A simple worksheet to determine your breakeven point. Either contains macros (Lotus) or has an accompanying macro sheet (MS Works). BPMHIST.XLS BPM Historical Statements For companies which have been in business. A way to compare your past performance to your planned future performance. BPMPROF.XLS BPM Proforma Financials A large worksheet which will chart your cash flow, generate income statements, balance sheets, ratio analysis, asset use, chart EPS, and technical analysis. USERS.GDE User's Guide You may print this out to guide you in filling out file "Business Plan Master" and the worksheet files. Or you can register at the **PROFESSIONAL** LEVEL and I will send you a printed User's Guide designed to fit nicely next to your computer. -------------------------------- How to Obtain Technical Support: -------------------------------- All users can obtain Technical Support either by U.S. mail, CompuServe E-Mail (70400,153), GEnie (D.WORKS3), or America OnLine (DavidW2959). We will try our best to fully support unregistered users during their evaluation period, but we will give priority to registered users, if necessary. Registered users become eligible to receive free, unlimited Technical Support by telephone. ------------------ What SHAREWARE is: ------------------ Shareware describes a method of distributing copyrighted software in which a user is allowed to fully evaluate the software before purchasing it. After an evaluation period, the user is required to register the product if he decides to keep using it. Shareware distribution addresses all of the legitimate complaints that users have with commercial software distribution. o Shareware allows a user to fully evaluate a product, free of charge, in his or her home or business, *before* deciding to buy it. o Shareware programs can circulate freely on Bulletin Boards, through Shareware disk distributors, or through user groups. o Because Shareware distribution reduces the need to advertise, Shareware is less expensive than commercial software. o Shareware authors can often be more responsive to users' requests for help or bug fixes than large software companies. o Shareware software, needless to say, is never copy-protected. In short, Shareware is a user's dream come true. Users show their appreciation to developers for this extremely flexible distribution scheme by registering their software. Without user registrations Shareware software would gradually disappear. It is not sufficient to simply let the "other guy" pay the registration. You are the other guy's "other guy". ---------------------- What SHAREWARE is not: ---------------------- Shareware is not "free" software. Shareware is not Public Domain software. The fee that you may have paid to receive a Shareware program does not mean that the software has been paid for. This money was paid to a Shareware disk vendor, User Group, Bulletin Board Service or retailer to cover their cost of getting the program to you. Shareware software is paid for by registering your copy with the author. ---------------------------- Business Plan Master History ---------------------------- BUSINESS PLAN MASTER has been under development for over four years. During that period it has been in constant use by its author. BUSINESS PLAN MASTER was originally developed for the IBM PC. It was later developed to run on Apple Macintosh computers. The development now is done concurrently - wherever I feel like working on a particular day! Version 1 - released January, 1992. Version 1.1 - vaporware Version 1.2 - Released March, 1992 - Expanded emphasis on service businesses, changes in User's Guide to make it clearer, addition of ASP required text. Version 1.3 - Released June, 1992 - Many cosmetic changes and change of number formats to ease international use. More changes in User's Guide to help understanding of financial terms and phrases. Got rid of a lot of extraneous *.doc files and added more humor. Version 1.3(a) - Released September, 1992 - Added a few items to BPMPROF.WK1. Maintenance upgrade. Version 2.1 - Released November, 1992 - Rewrote spreadsheets in Lotus 1-2-3 version 2.01 (rather than 2.2) to allow greater usage. Added new text to BIZPLN21.* files. Added Microsoft Works files. Added PROFESSIONAL PACKAGE registration. Author moved to "God's Country". Business Plan Master for Windows v1.0 - Released November, 1992. After many requests, I configured the files to work on Word/Windows and Excel/Windows. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ----------------------------------- The Future of BUSINESS PLAN MASTER: ----------------------------------- BUSINESS PLAN MASTER is a dynamic program. BUSINESS PLAN MASTER has changed considerably since its conception, and it has been further enhanced since its Shareware release. I originally wrote BUSINESS PLAN MASTER for an import venture with Germany and that well-known German perfectionism has rubbed off on me! I have already spent thousands of hours developing this program. By distributing BUSINESS PLAN MASTER as Shareware I am expressing my confidence in the public to "Do the Right Thing". I would like you to evaluate BUSINESS PLAN MASTER for as long as 30 days before deciding whether you want to keep it. If you do decide to keep it, you must register your copy. Full details on registration can be found in the REGISTER.ME file. I would be anxious to hear your comments about BUSINESS PLAN MASTER. Please feel free to contact me with your suggestions for new features, etc. Trial Use License: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Business Plan Master is NOT a public domain program. It is Copyright (c) 1992 by David A. Works. All rights reserved. This software and accompanying documentation are protected by United States Copyright law and also by International Treaty provisions. Any use of this software in violation of Copyright law or the terms of this limited license will be prosecuted to the best of our ability. The conditions under which you may copy this software and documentation are clearly outlined below under "Distribution Restrictions". David A. Works hereby grants you a limited license to use this software for evaluation purposes for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days. If you intend to continue using this software (and/or it's documentation) after the thirty (30) day evaluation period, you MUST make a registration payment to David A. Works. Using this software after the thirty (30) day evaluation period, without registering the software is a violation of the terms of this limited license. Licensee shall not use, copy, rent, lease, sell, modify, decompile, disassemble, otherwise reverse engineer, or transfer the licensed program except as provided in this agreement. Any such unauthorized use shall result in immediate and automatic termination of this license. All rights not expressly granted here are reserved to David A. Works. TRIAL USE (SHAREWARE EVALUATION VERSION) WARRANTY: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE SHAREWARE EVALUATION (TRIAL USE) VERSION IS PROVIDED AS IS. DAVID A. WORKS MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. REGISTERED VERSION ONLY WARRANTY: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ David A. Works warrants the physical diskette(s) and physical documentation provided with registered versions to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ninety days from the date of registration. If David A. Works receives notification within the warranty period of defects in materials or workmanship, and such notification is determined by Grand Universal to be correct, David A. Works will replace the defective diskette(s) or documentation. The entire and exclusive liability and remedy for breach of this Limited Warranty shall be limited to replacement of defective diskette(s) or documentation and shall not include or extend to any claim for or right to recover any other damages, including but not limited to, loss of profit, data, or use of the software, or special, incidental, or consequential damages or other similar claims, even if David A. Works has been specifically advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event will Grand Universal's liability for any damages to you or any other person ever exceed the lower of suggested list price or actual price paid for the license to use the software, regardless of any form of the claim. DAVID A. WORKS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY AND/OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you have any suggestions for changes or improvements, please feel free to contact me via any of the services listed below. IF YOU LIKE BUSINESS PLAN MASTER, PASS IT ALONG TO FRIENDS AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATES, BBS'S OR USER'S GROUPS. Good luck and I wish you the best in your business endeavors. CompuServe 70400,153 Delphi DAVIDWORKS GEnie D.WORKS3 America OnLine DAVIDW2959 Phone: (406) 862-1280